Clarity
by Porthos112
Summary: Ranma gets asked some questions by someone he'd never expect to have that kind of depth, and that's just the beginning
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer - I ain't no Rumiko Takahashi, I am a mere vassal who worships at her deific feet. For any lawyers who work for her or any company that may own rights to Ranma half I pray you waste neither your time nor talents in suing me, as all I have is a Pentium three and an incomplete set of Ranma half volumes. And I'm sure if you asked Takahashi-sama nicely she would be happy to give you a set of Ranma half, and if you ask really nicely she may even sign them for you. As for the Pentium III please take it, it'll give me an excuse to finally upgrade to something that's not quite so prehistoric, just give me a chance to get my files off of it first

Clarity

Chapter 1

Damn it why am I so confused? All my life I've been been told I had to be a man amongst men, an adonis to women(who would of course flock to my manliness), a paragon of virtue(though no one has informed me which virtues) and an example to all other men (someone to be admired and emulated). I think I've done it too. I mean I've got fiancee's all over the place, men challenge me on a regular basis.

"So what the hell's gone wrong?" he muttered under his breath. None of the people in his life respected him.

"Do you really want to know?" The voice had come from the doorway into the Dojo, it was the voice of someone he really didn't like HAPPOSAI.

"What d'ya want ya little freak? Haven't you caused enough trouble?" Ranma didn't even look up at the Grand-master of the Anything Goes school of martial arts.

"Hmmmm. Thats quite a good question Ranma. Did you ever think to ask why?" Ranma frowned, again without looking up. "I mean why I choose to cause so much havoc." Ranma gave a blank look at the little old man and gave his head a little shake as if to rid himself of a ringing in his ears.

"I always figured you were doing it for kicks. "

"I didn't really think so. I've tried to show you over and over, but that useless pile of blubber you call a father did his work a little too well. I think we'll come back to this question later. I think there are more immediate issues." Ranma remained in a stunned state, he'd never heard Happosai speak like this, but at these last few statements he raised his eyebrows in question. "Ah you look like you have a question, so go ahead and ask it."

"Okay." He frowned as he tried to find the words, those not being his strongpoint. "Let me get this straight. You mean to tell me Pops training of me worked?"

"Yes you could say that. More by accident than design I'm sure, you might even say he succeeded despite his own ineptness." He paused for a moment. "Let me ask another question of you. You don't have to answer me, but I think it's something you need to think on." Ranma gave a slight nod for him to continue.

"Right the question is - Ranma do you know what a slave is?"

"What the hell are you talking about? Course I know what a slave is!"

"Thats good. So definite, you must have a very good definition if you can say that so quickly. Why don't you enlighten me." Happosai smiled encouragingly at Ranma.

"Well, uh, um. It's like this. A long time ago people used to like, uh, sell other people to do hard jobs and things and, uh..." He trailed off as the little man sat there shaking his head a little in frustration.

"Interesting point you have there, but who said that it only happened in the past? Open your eyes Ranma and look at the real world. That's such a small facet of slavery, allow me to expand it just a little more for you. You spoke of physical freedom, but what about mental freedom? Or spiritual freedom? What about the kind of person who makes a slave of themselves." He seems a little stunned, maybe I'm going a little too fast for him? I've tried to be subtle and it hasn't worked. Time to try the bludgeon technique "If you remove a mans right to make decisions for himself, don't you in fact make that man a slave?" Ranmas eyes looked troubled. "As the master of this Ryu I have a task for you lad. The task is this, for as long as it takes you must examine your life and discover all the ways your father has attempted to enslave you."

"I ain't a slave to no one!" He yelled as his skin turned red in fury.

"Is that so? The sad thing is, I think you truly believe that." Looking into Ranma's blazing eyes he tilted his head to one side inviting the youth to answer him. For once Ranma had no answer and just sat there staring. "I'll leave you now to sulk, I mean meditate on the things I have told you to." With that parting shot he rose and left the dojo.

Authors notes:- this one just popped up in my mind so I decided to write it. It's a little more introspective than my normal story style. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue it. So if you're interested and would like to see it continued let me know by message or by review.


	2. Chapter 2

Clarity

Chapter 2

Disclaimer)- Ain't mine, got that?

Quick authors note)- This has been a long time in coming, many apologies.

Let's begin,

Ranma watched as the gnarled Grand master of the Anything Goes school of martial arts sauntered from the dojo, whistling a merry tune as his shadow finally left the doorway clear for the afternoon sun to stream into the darkened room.

'Who the hell was that? Certainly ain't the old hentai, I mean he didn't once mention silky darlings and he didn't try to activate the curse or feel me up' Ranma scratched his head, then blinked as he felt ice cold water engulf his now female form. Then a sense of familiarity descended upon him as the shriveled old freak tried to do the same.

"Hotcha! Come to Papa!" Ranma reacted in his usual manner and punched the Grand-master of the Anything Goes style in the nose.

"Watcha go an do that for ya old freak?" Ranma shouted at the old man who was now holding his nose.

"I just didn't want you brooding too much, or asking silly questions like, 'Who was that strange little man?' Now you know it's really me. You can get to the important questions, like the ones I asked you." Happosai turned and walked from the room leaving a strangely comforted Ranma-chan behind him. Ranma felt that while the world was a little askew it couldn't be that bad if the old hentai was the same as usual.

"Right, he's still a hentai, maybe just a little wiser than I thought. Nah, more like wise ass."

"I heard that Ranma. If you're avoiding the question because you don't have a clue where to start I suppose I could give you a hint. This saying is a bit clichéd but true nevertheless, it goes, 'Knowledge is power'. People have said that for the longest time and it's as true today as it was at the beginning of history. Before you say you're powerful already, I'd ask you to remember some of the fights you lost. Why did you lose them? How does that question fit in with the rest of your life?" Happosai actually chuckled at the expression on Ranma's face as he turned and left the dojo for the second time.

Ranma watched him go with a sense of….He wasn't sure what he was feeling at the moment but he'd get back to it later. 'I wonder what the old freak is up to? It's not like him to offer help for no reason, what's his game?' He kept drawing a blank though as he watched the sunlight swing across the floor as the day progressed. Gradually the day came to a close as Ranma tried to meditate on the situation.

"This ain't getting me nowhere. I could have just tried answerin' his questions. Huh, so what'd he ask again, oh yeah, why'd I lose the fights I did. Well that's easy enough all the fights I've lost were against techniques I've never seen before. Let's see, there was Ryoga with that Shi Shi Hokoudan, that really stung till I learned how to counter it with my version of it. Then there was Ryoga's Bakusai Tenketsu, but only cause I didn't know it wouldn't work on flesh an bone…." Ranma pursed her lips as she thought about that, "That must be what he meant! If knowledge is power, then each time someone uses something I don't know against me I'm gonna lose or at least suffer more damage than I should. So what's the answer, how'd I fight somethin' like that?"

Ranma shifted slightly as he became aware of the discomfort his female body was in after sitting on a hard floor for so long. 'Maybe I should go change and get some food, I've been out here most of the day. Besides it's been too quiet."

He might have been relieved had he known that Happosai had warned his two students that they'd stay away from the dojo if they knew what was bad for them, he'd cracked his knuckles and unlimbered his pipe while talking to them letting them know in no uncertain terms what was going to be bad for them. Walking into the living room he found the two old geezers playing shogi and sipping sake just like usual, that is until Genma looked up and caught sight of him.

"Where've you been boy? You haven't been out with any of those other girls have you?"

Soun looked stricken for a second and then wailed about the 'schools' never being joined.

"Shut up Oyaji I ain't been off the grounds today an I don't plan to either, so if you two are finished spouting that crap I'm gonna see if Kasumi's got any food for me."

"Good idea son, get me something at the same time." Genma looked back at a subtly different layout on the shogi board.

"Get it yourself old man, what'd ya last slave die of?" and had the satisfaction of watching his father's eyes widen in disbelief.

"You'll show me respect boy or I'll…"

"You'll what old man, beat me up? Listen up and listen good, I beat Saffron, I beat Herb, I even beat the old freak an his girlfriend, so what makes you think I wouldn't beat you?" Ranma took a step towards the thickset man he sometimes called Pops, but only when he was behaving. Not that the old man even noticed. He watched in satisfaction as his father backed down.

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Genma frowned as he watched his son stalk towards the kitchen, he'd known he was outclassed by his son for some time now but had been hoping the early training on the road would be enough to keep him in line

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"Hiya Kasumi, anything to eat? I'm starving."

"Dinner will be in about an hour Ranma, can you hold off till then?" Kasumi turned from the counter where she'd been preparing vegetables, her hands still busy with the vegetable knife. Ranma noticed, not for the first time the speed with which the knife moved over the cutting board, then remembered her question.

"I suppose so, but I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"Hmm, I suppose you might as well grab a snack to tide you over then. Oh, and Happosai left a message for you Ranma before he went out."

"Where'd the old freak go?"

"That's not nice Ranma, I really don't like it when you speak like that."

"Sorry Kasumi, guess I've got a lot on my mind today. Happosai came and had a chat with me."

"Ah, I've been waiting for that to happen. I'm surprised it took this long though." She had Ranma's undivided attention now.

"So what did the old man want?"

"He asked me to find out what the answer to his question was."

"Um, I think I got the answer, they each knew something I didn't, even some of the battles I won I was surprised by something. Is that what he meant?"

"Good, that's exactly what he hoped you'd say. That's where it gets a little tricky Ranma, the second part was to figure out how that was like other aspects of your life." Kasumi finished with the vegetables and moved over to the refrigerator to get some leftover rice which she put in the microwave to reheat, then grabbing a wok she threw together a quick stirfry. "So how far did you get with that?" She quickly stirred the meat and vegetables in the pan as they sizzled then added her special sauce and inhaled as the aroma washed over her.

Ranma watched as Kasumi seemed to dance as she prepared a quick snack for him, he'd seen it before but never actually analyzed it before. There were so many elements in her movements it could be mistaken for innate grace but there was something deeper, something hidden from the rest of the family. "Hey Kasumi, since when did you practice the art?"

"I've always practiced Ranma, I thought you knew that. And stop avoiding the question."

"I wasn't, I just never noticed till now. I've watched you cook before but it just now hit me." He smiled at the young woman. "As fer the question, I'll get back to ya; I ain't even gotten to that one yet."

"Well don't take too long Ranma, the answer is simpler than you think."

"Is that so?" Ranma picked the bowl of stirfry up and carried it over to the table and started eating with relish, after a moment he looked up and started to formulate what he wanted to ask.

"Don't talk with your mouth full Ranma, it's not that important that you have to be rude."

Ranma looked at Kasumi's back and wondered how she'd known, it wasn't as if she'd been looking at him. He went back to eating after a few moments as he really didn't' want to spoil his appetite for dinner. As he finished and placed his bowl and chopsticks in the sink for a quick wash Ranma turned to watch as she put the finishing touches on her special teriyaki chicken.

"So how long have you been practicing the art like this?"

"Oh since before mother died. After I'd trained for a few years I decided I didn't like to hurt people and that I wasn't going to do it anymore. Mother showed me that it wasn't just about hurting the other person, it could also be about helping them and even more to the point how to improve and gain control of myself." She smiled at him over her shoulder, "After all it is the Anything Goes school."

Ranma sat back down at the kitchen table and continued to watch her prepare the evening meal, something about what she'd said had resonated with something buried deeply inside him.

"Anything Goes…..huh, I wonder….."

"What was that Ranma-kun?"

"Ah nothin' Kasumi, just thinkin' aloud."

"Well why don't you share with me then, you never know it might even help."

"I dunno…it kind of makes sense when I think about it, but….."

"Just spit it out Ranma."

"Right, I was thinkin that Pops an your father practice Anything Goes, but….it don't feel right. I mean here's you, and I can tell you're good, an then there's Tofu-sensei, I can't even figure out how he sneaks up on me and he's a chiropractor. Khu Lon she fights usin everything she can get her hands on, magic, potions, ki attacks. An' yet Pops and Tendo-san keep sayin' everything else is a distraction from the art."

"Very good Ranma, you're so close now." She turned fully to face him with a great beaming smile on her face.

"Pops reckons everything's training, an then says nothing else matters. How does that work Kasumi? They can't both be right." Ranma scratched the back of his neck as a thought started to impinge on his thought, something dark and nebulous that he really didn't want to think about. But in the end even trying not to think about it only brought it into clearer focus. "I, I kinda got stuck there for a while din't I Kasumi? I mean right after I arrived, I stopped imrpovin in the art. Then all those stupid challenges started up an' I started movin forward again, that's what Happosai meant isn't it? That Pops was trying to control me through what he taught me." Ranma watched for a split second as Kasumi tried to move and hug him.

"Damnit Kasumi, would ya stop throwin the food everytime ya get excited bout somthin?" He'd made a mad dash past the eldest Tendo daughter as he grasped the falling wok and re-gathered the chicken and vegetables.

"Oh my! Did I do that?" The pig tailed martial artist was surprised as he discovered Kasumi gazing at him with a very Nabiki like smirk on her face. It seemed like today was a day of revelation, and the only person who didn't have a clue what was going on was him, and maybe his father.

"I'm so proud of you Ranma, you figured that all out on you own." She finally completed the planned hug and Ranma stood there and tried to accept that any moment a certain uncute tomboy was going to burst into the kitchen and hammer him into the floor.


End file.
